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WILKES-BARRE TWP. - He hasn't etched his name on the Stanley Cup like Marc-Andre Fleury did in 2009.

He hasn't won an AHL goaltender of the year award like Dany Sabourin did in 2006.

He hasn't performed a playoff miracle like Andy Chiodo did against Bridgeport in 2004.

So why is John Curry headed to Hershey to represent the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in AHL all-star festivities over the next two days? Why, if the Penguins were to select an all-time team today, would he be the favorite to claim the goaltender spot?

Simple.

He wins.

He wins more than he loses. He wins more than any other goalie to ever pull on a Penguins sweater. He wins because that's his job.

On the AHL stat page, he stands among the league leaders in wins with a 17-7 record. In the team record book, he ranks first in career wins (97), single-season wins (33 in 2008-09) and playoff wins (18).

"Just look at the goalies who have been here the last 12 years," Curry said. "I'm sure the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will be here forever and it's great to be on that list. I'm sure it won't last because there will be more good goalies to come, but it's a great honor for sure."

Curry doesn't win because he's particularly big or freakishly athletic. He wins because he battles.

After walking on at Boston University, he took over the starter's job as a sophomore and became the school's all-time leader in save percentage and shutouts and was a finalist for the 2007 Hobey Baker Award before he was done.

After joining the Penguins as an undrafted free agent, he led the team to the Calder Cup finals in his rookie season.

Curry's reputation says he's a battler who has beaten the odds, and that's not a label he minds wearing.

"It's human nature. You always want to prove people wrong," Curry said. "I don't think about that coming to the rink every day. I don't want to prove everyone wrong tomorrow. But undrafted, my size, up to this point I haven't got a lot of NHL experience, you want to prove to people that you can do it. Hopefully I can put myself in that position."

And that's the point Curry has reached in his career.

Has he proven himself an outstanding AHL goaltender? Absolutely.

Now he needs to prove he could be trusted at the NHL level too.

It's not as simple as it sounds.

In his three-plus seasons with the Penguins, he has seen plenty of highs, from playoff victories to record-setting wins. But he has seen his share of lows too. Last season, for example, he put up the worst AHL numbers of his career and gave up five goals in 24 minutes in his lone NHL appearance of the year.

Some Penguins fans fixate on those warts. They remember the losses and the bad goals. They go on the Internet and post disparaging comments about Curry.

He's heard the criticism. He's not mad about it.

"If you look at players who have been in an organization for a while, it's like (fans are) always looking for more," Curry said. "It's understandable. When you're pulling for a (rookie), it's the fresh new face and I understand that. I've been here for four years and they want more out of you. It's not just me. I don't take it personally. It's the way the hockey world works. You go from prospect to suspect pretty quick."

Ultimately, it's not the fans with venom dripping from their keyboards that Curry has to impress.

If he's going to make it to the NHL in the Penguins organization, he needs to show management that he - not Brad Thiessen, not one of the rookie goalies floating around and, most dauntingly, not an experienced free-agent addition - should be Fleury's back-up of the future.

Is that still a realistic goal for the 26-year-old Minnesota native?

"I don't know," Curry said. "Pittsburgh as an organization, they'll tell you in every meeting, 'You're part of our organization but you're doing this for yourself.' Coach (Dan) Bylsma used to tell us at the beginning of the season, 'Your shot in the NHL might not come here.' I hope it does. You can look at the situation and say it doesn't look great, but you've seen crazier things happen. I really do hope it comes in Pittsburgh. It's a great team, a great organization, a great city to play for."

In the meantime, though, Curry has a more immediate goal on his mind.

Winning more hockey games.

Maybe even winning the kind of hockey games that would put a big banner in the rafters of the Mohegan Sun Arena this June.

"I like to win and play on a team that plays with confidence and this team certainly does," Curry said. "I've been fortunate to be on this team."

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